Cavalier Corner

Courtney Bartholomew 's career catapulted to the proverbial next level last December at the Duel in the Pool, which features American swimmers competing against the best from Europe. Bartholomew, a 12-time All-American at Virginia, broke the American short- course record in the 100-meter backstroke and placed second in the 200 backstroke. A year ago, she placed second in each event at the NCAA Championships. After this year's NCAA meet, her next step will be the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. A top-two finish in either event will clinch a berth on the Olympic team. My advice to student-athletes is: To take classes that interest you. The ones that you're not interested in are going to be the most difficult ones. On top of that, it's a matter of being able to balance your academics, athlet- ics and social life. Decide what's important for you and fill in the time slots after that. The primary challenge facing student-athletes today is: Finding the time to get everything done, whether it is schoolwork or athletics. Just finding time to making everything fit together and prioritizing. The best thing about UVA is: The community and atmosphere that goes along with being a Cavalier. Walk- ing into a classroom knowing you're going to get a world-class education. Just the people you meet at UVA. I've met a ton of people who have a major influence on my education and my experience here. Why I chose UVA: I chose UVA because of the aca- demics and athletics. I walked on the Grounds and knew the moment I saw the Lawn that this was going to be GETTING TO KNOW FOURTH-YEAR SWIMMER COURTNEY BARTHOLOMEW CAVALIER SPORTS Bartholomew, a 12-time All-American at UVA, will be vying for a spot on the Olympic team this summer. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA

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